Lyrical Spices
by Alshoruzen
Summary: It began with a chance meeting and, of all things, a brief conversation about time travel. If asked, Shinichi would say that he didn't know why that had started it all. Kaito, however, would say that it was all because of that smile. KaiShin
1. Powder Sugar

Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan/Case Closed.

Pairing: KaitoxShinichi [Well, KaitoxConan to begin with]

Rating: T

Genre: Romance/Hurt/Comfort/Friendship

Warning: None

Summary: It began with a chance meeting and, of all things, a brief conversation about time travel. If asked, Shinichi would say that he didn't know why that had started it all. Kaito, however, would say that it was all because of that smile.

* * *

 **Lyrical Spices**

 **Powder Sugar**

 _[Song Inspiration: The Real Me by Natalie Grant]_

Seated at a small, coffee shop table, Kudo Shinichi—or rather Edogawa Conan at the moment—stared morosely into the depths of a coffee cup. The woman at the counter had given him a slightly odd look when he'd ordered coffee, but fortunately she had taken the view that it didn't matter what her customers were ordering as long as they paid. Shinichi was grateful for that. He really wasn't in the mood to talk, especially not if the talking involved arguing about whether someone his age should or shouldn't be ordering coffee.

It had been three years. Three long years during which everything he had been and wanted to be had been stripped away from him.

Back at the beginning, he had been sure that he would solve the case, catch those men in black, and be back to his old life in no time. But as time wore on and he learned more about his enemies, he had realized that it wasn't going to be that simple. The organization was much bigger and more dangerous than he had initially believed. Yet still he had believed. Maybe the journey back to his old life wouldn't be as quick as he had hoped, but he'd believed the time would come. He would solve this problem and go back to where he should be.

How naïve he had been.

It was strange, laughable really, that it had taken him this long to realize it. To realize that, even if he did bring an end to the organization and get the antidote, he could never go back to his old life. He could never go back to the person he had been. Time moved on, and people changed. There were no exceptions. His old life wasn't waiting for him because it was just plain impossible for it to do so. It wasn't like he'd hit a pause button when he'd been shrunk and could hit play again when he got back. Reality wasn't that obliging. His life as Conan and his life as Shinichi weren't different lives at all but one life that had veered terribly off track. Even if he found his way back to the main road, the time spent and the wear and tear of the detour would remain—not just for him but for the road as well.

It was confusing and frustrating and just plain depressing really.

Lifting his cup to his lips, he took a large gulp of his coffee. The bitter beverage was still just a little too hot, but at the moment he didn't care.

The bells over the café doors tinkled as one of the customers left. They jangled again as yet another customer came in. Shinichi barely paid either any attention.

He was just so tired of it all. He was tired of wishing he was himself again. He was tired of having to pretend to be a bright little child without a care in the world. He was tired of having to look over his shoulder for shadowy villains in black, and he was tired of regretting that awful mistake he'd made that day back in Tropical Land. Hell, he was tired of being tired of it all, and that was worst of all.

"Isn't it a little late for someone your age to be out by yourself?" an unfamiliar voice spoke up from right beside his table. "Or are you waiting for someone?"

Shinichi scowled at the reference to his age and lifted his head to level his best glare at the stranger. It was a tall young man with brown eyes. A few strands of ginger hair peeked out from beneath a baseball hat with a Jolly Roger on it. There was something about that emblem combined with the stranger's cocky grin that stirred a sense of familiarity in him, but he wasn't really in the mood for puzzling over it. All he wanted was to be left alone to stew in his problems. Was that too much to ask?

Apparently so.

The stranger sat down in the chair across the table. He didn't ask if Shinichi minded, the detective noted with irritation. The guy had just invited himself to sit. How rude.

"What do you want?" he asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes at the stranger.

"What makes you think I want something?"

"There are plenty of open tables," the detective replied bluntly. "But you sat down here."

"Maybe I just like this seat," the stranger suggested.

Shinichi only continued to glare, unimpressed by the answer. Was this guy mocking him?

"Come now, don't be like that," the stranger said, laughing. "I always sit here when I come to this place. Besides, it wouldn't be right of me to turn a blind eye when there's a child out all alone at this hour. Who knows what could happen."

Shinichi was starting to think that this guy was precisely the kind of stranger little children should avoid when alone. He was being way too friendly to be normal. He had to be up to something.

Not that people couldn't be nice. Shinichi still believed (wholeheartedly, and maybe a little desperately sometimes) that there were a lot of good people in the world. But there were some things that just weren't normal.

He was interrupted before he could say anything by the sound of a phone ringing.

Realizing it was his own, Shinichi quickly pulled his phone out and glanced at the Caller ID. It was Ran. Heaving a mental sigh, he braced himself and answered the phone.

"Hi Ran-neechan," he greeted in a falsely cheerful voice.

"Conan-kun, where are you?" the girl asked without preamble. She sounded somewhere between annoyed and worried. "Do you know what time it is? Why haven't you come home yet?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was so late already," he lied. "I stopped by the bookstore, and I kind of lost track of time…"

Ran sighed, but he could hear the amused exasperation in her voice. "Alright then. Be careful on your way back."

"I will. Bye!" He hung up. This time he sighed out loud.

Sometimes he caught himself wondering if it would be so bad just to live out the rest of his life as Conan. After all, he'd already settled into it. If he changed back into Shinichi, he'd have to adjust all over again. There would be a hell of a lot of catching up and explaining and all that other stuff.

But whenever those thoughts crossed his mind, he inevitably ended up angry at himself for thinking them. How could he allow himself to get so comfortable living this—this lie? It was unacceptable. It would feel too much like giving up.

"You know, it's not good to lie to your sister like that."

Shinichi almost jumped out of his seat. He'd completely forgotten that he wasn't alone at his table anymore. Annoyed, he glared at the stranger. "And what makes you think I haven't been at the bookstore?"

The stranger didn't appear the least bit bothered by his snappish tones or glare. "Nothing. But I know you're not there now, and I can tell you were only pretending to be surprised by the time."

Shinichi shrugged and turned his attention back to his coffee. He didn't need to explain himself to some stranger. The thought didn't stop him from feeling a smudge guilty about his latest set of lies. The lies, however, were more bearable than the thought of going back to the agency right now. Of having to _be Conan_.

Was it too much to ask that he be allowed to just be himself for a while without having to feel guilty about it for one reason or another? Never mind that he wasn't entirely sure what it even meant to be himself anymore.

"Yoo hoo~"

Argh! Couldn't a person even mope in peace anymore?

" _What_?" he snapped.

"Now, now. No need to go losing your temper. I'm just trying to help."

"I _don't need help_."

"Tsk, tsk, everyone needs something," the stranger replied, wagging an admonishing finger at him like someone scolding a four year old. "There are only those with the courage to admit it and those who are too afraid to do so."

Shinichi scoffed. "That's ridiculous."

"Is it?"

The detective rolled his eyes and went back to his coffee.

"Come now, it can help just to share it with someone," the stranger persisted.

"You realize I don't know you."

"Of course. Isn't that the point? I am a complete and utter stranger whom you are unlikely to ever meet again. Seems like the ideal person to share your woes with."

"…" Shinichi sighed. "Sharing won't help me change the mistakes I've made," he muttered more to himself than to the stranger.

The stranger heard him anyway. "Ah, so you wish to be a time traveler."

Shinichi blinked. "Wait, what?"

"You want to change the past. Therefore, you wish to be a time traveler."

Shinichi snorted. "I guess you could put it that way. Not that it's any help."

"Don't jump to conclusions, my dear little friend. Time travel is actually quite easy."

"…" Shinichi was starting to think that this man was crazy.

"You're thinking I'm crazy."

Shinichi blushed. "I never said—"

"Sanity's overrated anyway. So would you like to know the secret to time travel?""

"Uh, sure…why not…"

The man leaned forward to speak in a conspiratorial whisper. "There is one easy way to be a time traveler. And that is to become a historian."

"…"

"…"

Shinichi started to laugh. He couldn't help it. Between fits of uncontrollable giggles, he managed to gasp out, "That wouldn't help at all!"

The stranger sat back with a grin. "Oh, I don't know. It made you smile. Really though, it's all about perspective when you get down to it. Maybe things could have been better. Maybe they would have been worse. The question is, if you hadn't done it, would you be regretting that now instead?" The stranger glanced at his watch then rose from his chair. "I've got to get going. Don't lose that smile, Tantei-kun. It would be a terrible shame to lose something so beautiful."

Blue eyes grew wide in shock, but by the time Shinichi looked up, the man had already vanished.

 **-End of Chapter-**

* * *

 **A.N** : This is going to be structured more like a series of connected one-shots. Each will be based on a different song and be its own self-contained event. Happy Thanksgiving!


	2. Caramel

Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan/Case Closed.

* * *

 **Lyrical Spices**

 **Caramel**

 _[Song Inspiration: Just a Kiss by Lady Antebellum ]_

Shinichi's feet pounded against the stairs as he ran. The building was an old one—a mansion rumored to be haunted that was scheduled to be knocked down soon so that the owner of the land could have a new house built. The structure itself was still strong, so there was no danger of falling through the floor or something. It was dark though, and the place was full of winding corridors.

The only light guiding his way was the flashlight on his watch. It cast a narrow beam ahead of him. The area beyond its radiance was a murky blackness.

The darkness rang with a mocking laugh.

"You're almost out of time~!" it sang out mockingly.

Blue eyes narrowed, and Shinichi ran faster, wishing that his legs were longer. "Don't bet on it," he called back between pants for breath.

Reaching the top of the stairs, he sprinted up the hall. Three sharp corners later, he was running up the much narrower attic stairs. Flinging open the door at the top, he was met with a face full of cold, night wind.

He sneezed. The attic was dusty despite the draft. His glasses were already beginning to get all speckled. Ignoring the dust motes dancing before his eyes, he hurried to the small window he could see at the far end of the attic. It was a circle of night sky in the otherwise featureless darkness. He could just barely make out the twinkle of stars and the lower half of the moon.

When he reached it, he pushed it open and crawled out onto the roof. The wind whipped his bangs across his face. He squinted, looking around the sloping landscape that was the roof.

There!

That box covered in blipping lights was most definitely not supposed to be there. Wary of slipping and falling off the roof, Shinichi crawled on his hands and knees across the tiles to the strange, high-tech looking box that had been attached to the roof. He examined it carefully. There were little holes all around its outsides. The top of the box had holes too, but mixed in with the holes were a series of small lights, all of different colors and all blinking at different speeds. When he probed them lightly with his fingertips, he found that they were buttons. So this was the night's puzzle.

The small window on the corner of the box displayed a glowing two. If his interpretation of the riddle had been correct then that meant he only had two minutes left to solve this last puzzle. That wasn't nearly as much time as he would have liked.

Better get to work.

There were only five seconds left on the clock when Shinichi realized that he wasn't going to make it. He'd figured out the answer to the puzzle, but he would need at least ten seconds to press all the appropriate buttons in the right order. Reluctant but not having much choice, he abandoned his task and scrambled back towards the attic window. There was no way he was going to still be on the roof when that thing went off. He had no idea what it was going to do, but, knowing its inventor, he doubted it would be anything good.

He'd only just pulled the window shut when the box let out a high, whistling sound and every hole in its surface suddenly let loose a jet of yellow smoke. In seconds, the entire view through the window was blotted out by the stuff.

"What in the world…?" Shinichi muttered, confused.

"I win," a voice said right into his ear.

The elementary school detective nearly jumped out of his skin. He spun around to see a white grin gleaming at him from beneath a monocle. He let out a breath of relief when he recognized the one and only Kaitou KID.

"It's not my fault I ran out of time," he grumbled, crossing his arms. "Ran-neechan wouldn't let me leave the house. I had to sneak out after pretending to be asleep."

KID's grin only widened. "My, my, how very naughty of you. Either way, I still win."

"I know, I know," Shinichi relented, squashing the urge to pout. Just because he looked like a child didn't mean he had to act like one when no one was around. Er, well, no one other than KID anyway. The thief didn't count since he was one of the ones who already knew about Shinichi's shrinking situation. "What was all that smoke about anyway?"

"Just look for yourself." The thief gestured to the attic window where the stars were once again visible.

Cautious of any further tricks, Shinichi moved to peer outside. The sight that met his gaze made his jaw drop. Every last roof tile was aglow in the dark. It was the light of yellow glow-in-the-dark paint. He was sure that the glimmer must be visible from quite some distance away.

"That's," he started then stopped. He shook his head. "The owner's going to be really angry when he sees this."

"Shocked, certainly, but seeing as he's having the place knocked down in a few days, he really has no reason to be angry," the thief replied with a careless wave. "But I would recommend that we relocate ourselves to somewhere more suitable for conversation in case someone comes to investigate the glow in search of ghosts."

Shinichi didn't complain when, once they were both outside, KID picked him up. Then the thief's glider was open, and they were soaring away from the luminous manor over a see of bristling, black trees.

It had begun with that coincidental meeting at the café.

It was the day after that meeting that Shinichi had gotten the first note.

The note had been written on a postcard with no postmark. There had been no sender, but it had been addressed to Conan. The image on the card had been that of a chess board upon which a game was just beginning. Written on the postcard's other side had been a riddle.

There was no doodle and no signature, but he'd known who it was from immediately. He recognized the style of the riddle and some of the references in the words. Only KID could have written it, and, therefore, the postcard must have been sent by the master thief.

Since the riddle had been written like a heist notice, Shinichi had thought at first that that was what it was. So he had set about solving it. When he was done, he had a time and a place. What puzzled him was that the place had turned out to be a library. There were certainly no gems or works of art there. Was the thief planning to steal a book? That was another point that the riddle had been rather unclear about. Although perhaps it was more accurate to say that Shinichi hadn't quite figured that part out yet.

The notice never showed up at the police station or on the news. Despite that, Shinichi had decided to go to the "heist" anyway just to satisfy his own curiosity.

He'd found three chess boards waiting for him in a secluded back corner of the library. Each had a game already in progress set up upon it, and each had a challenge note attached to it, asking that he find a way to bring each game to checkmate for the black pieces within a certain number of turns.

Privately, Shinichi would admit to being delighted by the puzzle even if he had still been feeling a complete blank on its purpose.

He'd noticed as he worked that the chess boards and pieces were magnetic. Therefore, he wasn't entirely surprised when, upon the completion of the last puzzle, the chess board split open to reveal a flat compartment underneath. What did surprise him was a book lying inside. It was a brand new copy of a mystery novel that had only just been released that morning.

He hesitated over the volume. Was this another puzzle?

"It's not booby-trapped, if that's what you're wondering."

Head jerking up, Shinichi found himself staring at one of the resident librarians, a middle-aged man with graying hair and a heavyset frame. The man adjusted his glasses and grinned an extremely familiar grin. That voice too was nothing like the dry, dour one the librarian had had when he'd greeted Shinichi upon his arrival at the library.

"KID," he stated more than asked. There was no mistaking that smirk or that voice. He glanced down at the book again then back up at the thief. "What's all this about?"

"Take it. It's a reward for solving all my puzzles," the thief replied, dropping one hand onto the top of Shinichi's head to ruffle his hair. "Next time, the challenges won't be so easy."

Shinichi was too surprised to bat the thief's hand away. "Next time?"

"Of course. This was only the beginning."

"But…why?"

The thief had only shrugged. "Oh, no reason really. I was bored."

"You can't honestly expect me to believe that."

"Did you have fun? Be honest."

Shinichi opened his mouth to say something sarcastic then stopped. He looked again at the book in his hands. "I did," he admitted instead, blushing faintly.

KID's manic grin softened into a smile that Shinichi, still looking down at the book, didn't catch. "Well I did too. We all need a little diversion now and then, don't you think? It keeps us from getting too lost in our own heads."

Shinichi thought he understood what the thief meant. He found himself smiling just a little despite himself. "Are you sure it's okay for me to keep this?"

"Of course. That was the point. Though, if you don't want it, I'm sure I could find a use for it elsewhere."

"No, I do want it," Shinichi blurted out then ducked his head to hide his embarrassment. "Thank you…"

That had been the first of many not-heist notices that Shinichi received. Each note brought with it a new and unique challenge. As KID had promised, they were much more difficult than that first challenge. Most had time limits for their successful completion. Each set of puzzles that Shinichi failed to complete in time was a win for the thief, and each puzzle that he did solve resulted in some small prize: a book, a slice of pie or other snack, a rose, a cup of coffee, etc. Their score was about half-half with the thief having a slight lead (Shinichi blamed his tendency to trip over cases left and right for making him lose time more often than he'd like).

Shinichi wasn't sure when they had started lingering after their little contests to just talk. What he did know was that, inexplicable as it was, it was those conversations that he looked forward to above everything else.

White cloth fell in heavy folds about them as KID landed on a nondescript rooftop back in the more populated part of the city. He swapped into a less eye-catching outfit in a puff of smoke then sat down on the edge of the roof. Depositing Shinichi on his lap, he wrapped his arms loosely about the small detective's body. Shinichi leaned unconsciously into the warm embrace. It was cold this high up. He wasn't really surprised that KID had brought them here though. The thief loved high places.

Looking out across the glittering city at night, Shinichi had to admit that he was starting to like high places too. It was more than just the view. There was something peaceful about being up this high so far away from everything else. All the noise that was the city was distant. And, this close to the sky, you could really feel how massive the world was.

"Hey KID?"

"Yes?"

"What was in the box?"

"Not telling~. You can have it if you win next time. Although maybe I'll just keep it for myself. It was pretty cool."

"Now you're just making fun of me."

"Well, you do make it rather easy."

"…You know, saying things like that to someone is kind of rude. Aren't you supposed to be a _gentleman_ or something?"

The thief laughed, the sound vibrating against Shinichi's back. "Just being honest. Weren't you detectives all about truth?"

"You always have an answer to everything, don't you?"

"Naturally."

Shinichi rolled his eyes, but he found himself smiling. Was it wrong that he felt so comfortable with a thief? He hadn't told anyone about these little excursions. And that was definitely stupid. If he disappeared, no one would have any idea where to even begin looking. But…even if things went wrong, even if something bad were to happen to him because of these little meetings, he wouldn't regret it.

Lately, it was only during these moments that he felt like he could relax and just be himself. Not Conan or Shinichi but whoever it was he'd become these last few years.

With KID, he didn't feel so confused anymore. He felt…safe, like he could just let go of all his troubled thoughts and live in the moment for a while.

What are you thinking about?"

Shinichi blinked, coming out of his thoughts. "What? Oh, uh… You know, you're always giving me things. But I… I mean, is there anything I can get for you?"

"It really isn't a big deal. Buying a friend a coffee or slice of cake isn't something anyone should be making a big deal out of."

Shinichi's heart skipped a beat. Had the thief just called them friends? Damn it, he wasn't really a child, why did that make him feel so _happy_? It was ridiculous. Why did he care so much about what the thief thought?

The thief seem to take his gesture as a sign that he was still thinking about the issue of gifts. "If it'll make you feel better, how about you can just owe me a favor? To be collected at a time of my choosing."

"Uh, no. I'd rather not take that kind of risk, thanks."

"Aww, don't you trust me?"

"I trust you to always be scheming something."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"You would."

Silence fell as they looked up at the moon together. It was almost full.

"That reminds me," KID murmured. Unwinding one arm from where it had been resting around Shinichi's waist, he flicked his wrist. A white card appeared in gloved fingers. "Here."

Shinichi took the card, curious. It was a notice. This one, however, had the traditional signature and caricature on it. "Is this a real one?"

"They're all real."

"You know what I mean."

"I suppose I do. The police will get their copy tomorrow. I'd recommend keeping that one to yourself until then."

Shinichi tucked the card carefully into his pocket.

"What's with the frown?"

The detective started. KID was behind him. How the hell had the thief known he was frowning?

"I was just wondering what your reasons were, I guess," he said after a moment's hesitation. "If there's something you need to find, there are better ways to do so than stealing. And if it's the show, well, you have more than enough skill to be a professional magician if you aren't one already. Why waste your talent on being a thief?"

He didn't really expect an answer. He'd only been giving voice to his thoughts. He almost expected the thief to laugh. But he didn't.

Instead, KID's arms tightened around him, and the thief spoke in the most serious tone that Shinichi had ever heard from him. "It's something I need to do so that I can protect something important to me. And so that I can find justice for someone I loved."

Behind the monocle and top hat, one Kuroba Kaito wondered if he should really have just said that. Indirect as it was, it was still personal information. The problem was that he couldn't seem to stop himself. But he'd wanted to tell Shinichi.

It was a new feeling for him. He'd always been secretive by nature. It came with being a magician, he supposed. A magician who went around blabbing about his secrets wasn't going to make it very far. You needed mystery if you were going to amaze people. And he did love that awestruck expression of a captivated audience. And then he'd taken up the mantle of Kaitou KID, and secrecy had become even more important.

And yet these last few months, he'd found himself letting more and more things slip. And it wasn't by accident. He wouldn't be the master of his arts that he was if he let things slip so easily. No, he'd been telling Shinichi things about himself because he wanted to.

And, in some ways, that was worse than slipping up by accident.

It meant he was getting attached. No, it was more than that. He looked down at the small detective sitting so unconcernedly on his lap and watching the stars with him. Yes, it was so much more.

"You know," he said in a teasing tone that made Shinichi tense with wariness. "There is one thing you could give me that I would like very much."

"…Yeah? What?"

The thief leaned down so that his mouth was right beside Shinichi's ear. "You."

Shinichi choked, turning bright red. "KID!"

The thief threw his head back and laughed. "I'm just kidding. Honestly Tantei-kun, you're way too easy to tease."

"Oh." Still blushing, Shinichi looked down at their feet where they hung dangling over the edge of the building. A moment later, he felt the thief's chin come to rest on top of his head. "I see."

"Seriously though," the magician said, tone much softer now. "What would you do if I said I wasn't kidding?"

Shinichi stilled. "I…" He paused, drawing in a deep breath. "I'm afraid I'd have to remind you that I'm still stuck in elementary school. But… If I wasn't, I…I m—might've said yes."

Indigo eyes widened slightly. Shinichi's words had gotten pretty quiet there at the end, but Kaito was certain he'd heard them correctly. A slow grin spread across the magician's face. "Is that so?" he murmured, warm breath ruffling Shinichi's hair. "In that case, I'll consider it a promise."

"…Huh?"

"That you'll be mine when you're your rightful age again. Or at least old enough so that your Ran-neechan won't feel the need to murder me for laying hands on her charge."

This time it was Shinichi whose eyes widened as the implications of the thief's words sank in. "But…Wha..?" were the most eloquent words he could muster.

"Don't worry, I can be very patient when I want to be," the thief continued in rather chipper tones. "There really is no need to rush. Which is good because I should probably be taking you home, shouldn't I?"

Shinichi didn't say anything the entire way back to the Mouri Detective Agency. It was only as they stopped at the corner where they would be parting ways that he spoke again, tugging on KID's hand.

"Were…were you serious?"

The thief crouched so that they were face to face. Two pairs of eyes glimmered in the dark. Then the thief leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on Shinichi's lips.

"Does that answer your question?" he asked when he pulled back. He grinned at the detective's wide, startled eyes and the blush that was visible even in the dim light offered by the moon. "Good night then, Shinichi."

* * *

 **-End of Chapter-**


	3. Cocoa

Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan/Case Closed.

* * *

 **Lyrical Spices**

 **Cocoa**

 _[Song Inspiration: Bring Me the Night by Sam Tsui ]_

"Uh, Kaito, what is that?" Aoko asked, leaning across the library table to stare at her friend's open notebook. They were supposed to be studying for an exam, but that did not look anything like any material from their class. Hell, it didn't look like any material from their _university_. Whatever it was, it looked extremely complicated, and the whole thing just screamed 'I'm up to no good'. Or at least it did to Aoko, who knew Kuroba Kaito well enough to understand that _anything_ he paid _that_ much attention to had to be hazardous to somebody. Though no doubt he would call it entertainment.

"Don't worry," Kaito said without looking up from his lists of calculations. "You'll find out what it is next week."

Aoko wondered if she should skip the class she had with Kaito next week. Honestly, they were in university now, and Kaito was still pulling pranks. She'd hoped he'd grow out of it. But he hadn't. Instead, his pranks had grown more elaborate.

"Well, I'm going to go now. I'm meeting Saguru for dinner."

"Ah. You have my condolences."

Aoko rolled her eyes. She had long since given up on scolding Kaito for making derogatory comments about her boyfriend.

Kaito waited until he was sure that Aoko was gone before shutting his notebook and packing his things. It had taken her longer to leave than he'd expected. Whistling to himself, he left the library. He had an art gallery to scope out.

The sky outside was already beginning to darken.

Kaito smirked to himself. He always felt more alive at night. He was in his element after dark. That mysterious world of shadows and phantoms was his domain, and in it he was unstoppable.

His next heist was going to be at the Mizuki Art Gallery. A new jewelry exhibit was scheduled to open there soon, and there was at least one gem in the collection that he had been itching to get a hold of for a while now.

Well, he called it his next heist, but it would be more accurate to call it his next _official_ heist. He had originally planned to wait until afterward to play another of his little games with his Tantei-kun, but that would mean waiting at least another three weeks before he could see his little detective again. The exhibit he was targeting wasn't even going to open for another week, and then there was the fine tuning for his plans and the full moon to wait for.

He didn't want to wait that long.

When had he started measuring his days by his encounters with Tantei-kun? It was ridiculous, really. They weren't really doing anything particularly out of the ordinary. They were only entertaining themselves with some friendly competition. And yet, even when all they were doing was stargazing over cups of hot coco, Kaito always found himself feeling more—alive? Content? Exhilarated? It was all of that and more.

When he was with his little detective, he knew that this was the person he wanted to be with. The person who could understand him and accept him for all his many quirks and faults. And someone he was more than happy to accept in return—to hold and protect and dance with and whisper little secrets to: of life and dreams and shadows and love…

Love.

That was it, wasn't it? He was in love.

How odd.

He hadn't planned for that to happen. In fact, after he'd admitted that he and Aoko weren't going to work out, he'd planned to wait on the search for a romantic interest until after he'd found and destroyed Pandora.

And yet, here he was, writing a new notice that the police would never see. And to a detective! Life sure could be full of surprises. But he supposed it was just like that with Tantei-kun. Things never went exactly as planned around the little detective—except sometimes they did. After all, constant _un_ predictability would be a form of _pre_ dictability.

He signed off the note with a doodle whose grin was mirrored on the thief's own face.

"I'll be seeing you soon."

-0-

It was a gradual change. It was so gradual that Shinichi didn't even notice it until it had already settled in to stay.

He found himself constantly looking for notices throughout his day. They could appear anywhere at any time, he knew. It was almost like a game. He'd found KID notices everywhere from under his pillow to between the pages of the book he was reading. Every time he discovered one of KID's private invitations waiting for him, Shinichi found his heart beat quickening. If he was in school, he would quicly tuck the note away for safekeeping and spend the rest of the day jiggling in his seat, desperate for the bell to just ring already. If he was out or at home, he'd find the nearest secluded space where he could solve the note in peace. Some notes were harder than others, but they all had their own little logical twists and turns that were the hallmark of good riddles.

Once he'd figured out the time and place, he would find himself counting down the days—hours, minutes…

Those private invitations and midnight meetings were the first things he had really, honestly looked forward to in a long, long time. And he lived his days hoping that the next one would come soon.

"What's been going on?"

Shinichi blinked owlishly at Haibara Ai. The two of them were sitting on a park bench while the rest of the Shounan Tantei ran around playing tag. Seriously, those three might have gotten taller over the last few years, but they were still very much children at heart. But maybe that was a good thing.

"What do you mean?" Shinichi asked a little distractedly. There had been a notice tucked into the pocket of his jacket. It was a particularly difficult one, and he'd been thinking about it all day. Despite that, he was only about halfway through solving it.

"You seem different lately," the shrunken scientist replied, giving him that deadpan stare that always slightly creeped him out. It made him feel like he was a bug under a microscope—or maybe a mouse about to be dissected.

He gulped. "What are you talking about? I haven't been doing anything different."

Haibara pulled a small notebook out of her backpack (all five of their backpacks were here at the bench since none of them had bothered to head home first after school let out). She opened it to a page somewhere near the middle. "On the first day of summer vacation, Ayumi, Mitsuhiko, and Genta went to find you at the Mouri Detective Agency only to hear from Ran that you had left right after breakfast. You had told her that you would be meeting with them, and therefore she was understandably confused that they were looking for you. They all, however, assumed that you had missed each other on the way. All four were distracted shortly afterward by the arrival of Suzuki Sonoko and forgot all about you and your disappearing act. Over the course of our summer vacation, you asked Professor Agasa to cover for you nine times because you had, and I quote, _some stuff to do_. Each time, you returned to your own house for the night somewhere between one and two in the morning. However, how you actually got into your house was unclear on these occasions as you never appeared at the front door."

Shinichi stared at the little scientist, mildly horrified. Was she spying on him? At least it seemed she'd never seen KID entering or leaving the Kudo Manor. That would have been rather hard to explain. Doubly so if she'd noticed how long the thief had stayed. Conversations over hot chocolate often lasted well into the night.

Haibara wasn't done yet.

"These incidents have become less frequent since classes have resumed. However, last Friday, you called Professor Agasa and asked him to tell the Mouris that you would be staying over for the night and the following weekend. When he asked, you told him that you were going on an investigation with Hattori Heiji. However, I have confirmed that Hattori-kun was completely unaware of this. In fact, as far as I was able to find out, no one has any idea where you were."

Shinichi paled and tried not to fidget. The truth was that KID had taken him camping. They'd gone to a remote cabin in the mountains where, according to the thief, he used to go to practice when he first started hang gliding.

"So?"

"Huh?"

"Where were you?"

"I was just dealing with a personal thing," he said defensively. "Why are you recording everything I do anyway? It's a bit creepy."

She smirked. "It's only natural that I take notes. If I'm going to create a proper antidote, I need to study my subject."

Shinichi gulped and edged away from her. "Well I'm pretty sure it wouldn't help you with the antidote to know where I was."

The little scientist made a quiet "hn" sound but didn't comment. She wasn't, however, about to let the issue go. She would find out what was going on one way or another.

-0-

Night had fallen. Finally.

At the Mouri Detective Agency, a door cracked open. One blue eye peered out to make sure that the coast was clear. Then a small figure slipped out of the room and padded silently but quickly to the front door. Moments later, the same small shadow was bounding down the stairs outside. Moonlight flashed silver off of round lenses as the little figure reached the street.

Then one Edogawa Conan—or rather, Kudo Shinichi—was running up the street, headed for the bus stop. If he was quick, he should be just in time to catch the last bus.

He arrived just in time to bound into the bus just as the doors closed. The driver gave him an odd look, probably wondering what a child was doing out so late by himself, but, fortunately, the man decided not to question him.

Sitting by the window, he looked out at the night. The city was a black canvas spangled with lit windows and street lights.

But Shinichi's eyes were drawn even higher to the moon. It was still a crescent. Like a white grin in the sky. Or a grin in the shadow of a top hat.

Smiling a little despite himself, he pulled the folded notice out of his pocket and read it over again. He was sure he had the time and place right. The rest he would have to confirm when he saw the site.

Elsewhere in the city, a glider sailed swift and silent through the darkness.

The night was a catalyst for imagination. But, for them, it was also a time that could melt away the boundaries between imagination and reality, allowing them to step across the border and bring their dreams to life.

* * *

 **-End of Chapter-**


	4. Salt

Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan/Case Closed.

Pairing: KaitoxShinichi

Rating: T

* * *

 **Lyrical Spices**

 **Salt**

 _[Song Inspiration: Safe and Sound by Sam Tsui ]_

The news was splashed across every newspaper and television channel.

It had happened at a new department store. The place had been having a grand opening. The celebration featured several characters from popular children's television shows. Naturally, that meant the place had been full of families with children. Among those children was the young daughter and son of a very wealthy family.

Because of that, the department store's opening day celebration had attracted the attention of a ring of criminals. They had taken advantage of the store's computer-controlled security system to trap everyone at the celebration inside. Then they'd demanded three billion yen in exchange for the lives of everyone they'd trapped. They had set a deadline of a measly twelve hours for their demands to be met and threatened to blow the entire store up if they were disappointed.

However, it turned out that one of the culprits had had a personal grudge—something about having been dumped. He planned to get back at the woman who'd left him by killing her children. The bastard had knocked out his fellow blackmailers and started the countdown on the bombs in the building well before the deadline.

Details varied depending on which news sources you went to, but all the reports agreed that, if it weren't for the work of a brave group of kids who'd been among the hostages, a whole lot of lives would have been lost. Fortunately, no one had died. Unfortunately, the kids in question (along with the bastard behind it all) were now in the hospital, some with very severe injuries.

A suspicion kindled in Kaito's mind the first time he saw the news. There was nothing in any of the reports about who exactly the kids in the incident had been, but he had a sneaking feeling that a certain someone could very well have been there. It was just the kind of trouble he'd get himself into.

"It's horrible, isn't it?"

Kaito looked up from the newspaper in his hands to find Aoko giving him a sympathetic look over the café table. Ah, so she must have mistaken his long silence for distress at the article. Well, he supposed she wasn't entirely wrong. He was pretty damned worried about a certain little detective who could very well have been involved. And the rest of it was pretty awful too, although it was more infuriating than distressing, all considered it was already in the past.

"Some people seriously need to get over themselves," he said, setting the paper aside.

"It's despicable how selfish they were," the inspector's daughter agreed, scowling. "Putting all those people through all that fear and threatening to take their lives just so they could get what they wanted. And so many of the hostages were only children too! And seriously, killing someone's children just because they dumped you? It's disgusting!"

"Yeah. Listen Aoko, I need to get going." The magician rose from his seat, placing a handful of coins and bills on the table to pay for both their breakfasts. "Can we finish that project some other time?"

Aoko blinked at him. "What? But—"

"It's important."

Aoko stared into her friend's serious face. That expression only ever appeared in very serious situations. She swallowed. "O—okay."

She was rewarded with a quick smile, and Kaito was gone.

-0-

Kaito stopped by the Mouri Detective Agency first, but it was empty. Then he went to the Kudo Manor. It too was empty. After that, he went next door to the Agasa house just in time to see the old professor and the little girl, Haibara, leaving in a hurry.

Kaito followed them.

As he'd half expected, they ended up at a hospital. As luck would have it, it was a hospital whose floor plan the thief had studied before. What did surprise the thief, however, was the crowd in the hospital parking lot. Half of them appeared to be reporters from various television stations, magazines, and newspapers. The other half were police doing their best to keep the eager reporters at bay.

Kaito shook his head at the circus and slipped in like a shadow after Professor Agasa and Haibara and followed them all the way to a hospital room higher up in the building. The room was too small for him to sneak in unnoticed though, so he ended up peering down into it through an air vent in the ceiling.

His heart skipped a beat when he saw his Tantei-kun lying in the hospital bed, pale and drawn. However, his concern subsided when he noticed that there was no IV, and the bandaging he could see peeking out from beneath the hospital gown seemed minimal for someone who'd been in an explosion.

"How are you feeling?" the old professor was asking.

"I'm fine," Shinichi said. His voice sounded raspy and strained. "The doctors said I should be able to leave in a week or two."

"That's great," the professor said, relief evident in his voice.

Shinichi's expression darkened before the emotions were shuttered away behind a blank look.

"Can you…" he started to say, stopped, then started again. "Can you tell me how the others are? The doctors won't tell me."

The professor froze. It was Haibara who eventually answered.

"Ayumi is fine. She has a fractured bone in her arm, but it's nothing a little time won't heal. Mitsuhiko's injuries are worse because he shielded her. He has severe burns all across his back. He also has a concussion and a broken arm. However, his condition is stable, and his life is not in danger."

She stopped.

"And Genta?" Shinichi prompted. There was a barely detectable tremor in his voice.

Haibara looked away. "He's still in the ICU."

There was a long moment of awkward silence. It was broken by the arrival of several police officers.

After the initial pleasantries were over, Megure-keibu cleared his throat. "Conan-kun, we need you to tell us exactly what happened."

"I understand. I'll do my best."

Slowly, Shinichi began recounting the details of the event to the police. The first part of the story was all stuff that Kaito had already heard or guessed for himself.

The Shounan Tantei had been at the department store celebration. When they realized what was happening, they had found their way to the control room near the top of the building where the culprits were hiding. Most of the other hostages and even the police hadn't thought that the culprits would be in the building themselves, but the computer controls could only be manipulated from within, and culprits had planned an escape from the roof.

Long story short, Shinichi had darted the man intent on blowing everyone up. However, it had taken time to deactivate the bomb timers, and the crazy culprit had woken up before Shinichi had finished.

It was Genta who'd first noticed the man wake up. That was when the culprit had pulled a gun. Genta had shouted a warning and tackled the man, taking a bullet through the shoulder but making the man's other shots go wide.

The gunfire had set off the bombs set up to destroy a support beam near the control room though. It really had been sheer bad luck. Mitsuhiko had shielded Ayumi with his body, pushing the both of them away from the blast, but there had been no way to get far enough fast enough. Genta, still struggling to hold the culprit down so that his friends could escape, hadn't been able to run at all.

Shinichi himself had been farther from the blast and partially protected by the back of the chair he'd been sitting in.

In some ways, they were all lucky that there hadn't been more explosives in their area. If there had been, none of them would have made it.

When the story was over, the police asked a few more questions. Then they left. The professor and Haibara lingered a moment after they'd gone, but Shinichi told them that he was tired and asked them to leave.

Once they had gone, he crumpled. His hands clenched into fists in the sheets as he doubled over, eyes squeezed shut.

"Damn it," he cursed under his breath, his voice rough with anguish.

Concerned that Shinichi might inadvertently exacerbate his injuries, Kaito quickly removed the cover of the vent and dropped into the room.

Shinichi was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't even notice the new arrival until Kaito placed a hand on his shoulder. He flinched and jerked his head up, wincing at his own sudden movement. Wide blue eyes stared at Kaito. The magician was shocked to see a tear trailing down the side of the detective's face.

Kaito moved without thinking, brushing his thumb over Shinichi's cheek to wipe away the tear.

Shinichi's gaze dropped. "You heard."

It wasn't a question. Kaito nodded anyway. "How are you doing?"

"I'll be out of the hospital in a week or so."

"That's not what I meant." Sitting down on the bed beside Shinichi, he wrapped an arm carefully around the younger boy's slim waist.

"I'm fine," Shinichi insisted, voice cracking.

Kaito frowned. "You know you can't lie to me."

Shinichi forced a smile, but it fell away almost before it had formed. He lowered his head as he seemed to curl in upon himself.

"I—I should have been more careful," he whispered, voice growing hoarse. "If I'd just made sure to restrain him before he woke up… Why didn't I check to see if he was armed? If I'd just…! It was me he was trying to shoot! If the others had died… If—if Genta doesn't make it…"

Kaito could have said a lot of things to that. He could have told Shinichi that he shouldn't be blaming himself when it was the culprit's fault that people had been hurt. He could have pointed out that, by all accounts, Shinichi hadn't had any time to restrain the culprit or check him for weapons. All considered, he'd barely managed to stop the countdown in time. He could also have pointed out the pointlessness of all the what-ifs. There were a lot of things he could have said.

But he knew that Shinichi knew all of that too. There would be time to say it all later, but, for now, nothing anyone else said would change a thing.

So instead he held Shinichi close as the detective began to tremble, aware more than ever of how small the boy really was. It was a fact he often forgot, but, right now, he couldn't help but focus on it. How fragile Shinichi seemed right now. Kaito could feel the tremors running through that small frame. And though he couldn't see Shinichi's face because the boy had hidden it against his shoulder, he could feel the growing dampness of his shirt.

On an impulse, he gathered Shinichi onto his lap and wrapped both his arms securely around the young detective's slender body. And he vowed to himself again that he would protect Shinichi.

"Everything will be okay," he murmured. "I'll be right here with you. No matter what happens. I promise."

They sat together like this long after visiting hours had ended and the sky outside darkened to black. The moon rose. It was a white crescent hanging cold and bright in the sky.

* * *

 **-End of Chapter-**


	5. Mint

Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan/Case Closed.

Pairing: KaitoxShinichi

* * *

 **Lyrical Spices**

 **Mint**

 _[Song Inspiration: It's a Lot Like Romeo and Juliet by S.O.A.P. ]_

After that meeting at the hospital, their relationship shifted again. This time, the change came like a flash of lightning rather than a breath of summer.

The first thing Shinichi noticed was the way that his heart skipped a beat every time his and Kaito's eyes met. It would then proceed to beat at double time. It wasn't the same sense of warm anticipation he'd felt before with those secret notices and clandestine meetings. It was…more than that.

Deeper. Stranger. Almost frightening even, but…

It was exhilarating too.

When he was with Kaito, the world was bright. He felt like he'd been set free, if only for a little while, from the cage of doubts and despair that had been slowly closing in around him before the gentleman thief had come and stolen him away.

Lately, they had been having dinner together at the Kudo Manor at least once a week. Nothing fancy. At first, they mostly got takeout. But eventually Shinichi went to the store and bought a tall stool and a few smaller pots and pans. He was careful to keep quiet about it to Kaito. The surprise on the magician's face the first time they had a home cooked meal at the manor was one he'd remember forever.

"I didn't know you could cook," the magician had said.

Shinichi rolled his eyes. "I lived by myself before I moved in with the Mouris. Of course I can cook a little. And I've been helping Ran out lately since her college workload means she has less time." It was the least he could do, he added to himself. It wasn't like Kogoro could cook.

Kaito laughed. "That makes sense."

It was when they settled in for hot chocolate after one of these peaceful dinner dates that Kaito had mentioned taking him on a trip to Okinawa. Apparently he'd gotten invitations to perform magic shows for several establishments there. The dates had yet to be set though.

"So if you want to come, I can see about scheduling it sometime that works for both of us. It'll be fun," he'd said. "So what do you say?"

And Shinichi had found himself reviewing school vacation days in search of the most suitable time without a second thought. That was when it hit him.

He would go anywhere the thief would take him without question. He had stopped pondering the wisdoms or even the merits of those places and plans. For him, as long as it was Kaito making the plans, Shinichi knew he would follow them—wanted to follow them—to whatever crazy place they led.

 _"I'll consider it a promise…That you'll be mine when you're your rightful age again. Or at least old enough so that your Ran-neechan won't feel the need to murder me for laying hands on her charge."_

Shinichi blushed at the memory. It made him feel giddy and tingly all over. At the same time, it was a sharp reminder of the harsh truths of reality.

He was still only half the thief's age—not even legally an adult. If Haibara never found a cure, Shinichi would have to grow up the old fashioned way all over again. He couldn't ask Kaito to wait for him no matter what the magician said. One thing that he had learned from his time as Conan was that no one should put their lives on hold like that. You never knew what could happen next after all, and hopes all too often went unanswered.

Then there was the inescapable fact that the thief was a thief. He was a detective. Friendship was one thing, but more? Could they really spend their lives together? Or had they doomed themselves from the start?

He gave himself a sharp shake. Thinking like that was pointless.

"I'd like to make sure we pick sometime Ran is less busy too," he said in an attempt to distract himself. "I don't want to leave Ojii-san by himself too much. He'd probably give himself alcohol poisoning without me or Ran around to keep an eye on him."

"Of course." Kaito's grin softened into a smile. "You really are part of the family over there now, aren't you?"

Shinichi froze for a moment before he shrugged. "Well, I have been living there for three years. That reminds me though. I'll need a cover story if I'm going to be going anywhere farther away with you."

"Family trip, perhaps?"

Shinichi nodded slowly. It would be easy to call the agency as Conan's mother and tell them that the Edogawas would be going on a trip. The real problem was Haibara…

As though summoned by his thoughts, a familiar voice spoke from the dining room doorway.

"Kaitou KID?"

Both Shinichi and Kaito turned quickly to find Haibara Ai standing there. She was staring from the thief to Shinichi and back again. How she had gotten there without alerting either of them, Shinichi had no idea. But the little scientist had always been scary like that.

"Good evening, Ojou-san," Kaito said with a charming smile, tipping his hat to her as though he weren't surprised to see her there at all. "Would you care for some hot chocolate?"

The little girl stared at him, unimpressed. "No. What are you doing here?"

"I am simply enjoying a drink with my little Tantei-kun here," the thief replied in a mild tone that seemed to imply this should be natural.

Haibara's gaze swiveled to Shinichi. The detective gulped and shrank back a little under her scrutiny. He hastily downed a gulp of hot chocolate. He could still feel her gaze boring into him like she was considering the best way to dissect a specimen.

Kaito glanced from one not-child to the other and back again then rose to his feet. "I suppose I should take my leave for today. "Thank you for the chocolate, Tantei-kun. I'll see you soon. And it was a pleasure to see you again, Ojou-san. Good night."

That said, the thief bowed and vanished in a puff of smoke.

"So," Haibara drawled the moment he was gone. "This certainly explains a few things."

"Wha—what do you mean?" Shinichi stammered, wishing he could disappear as easily as Kaito had. Unfortunately for him, Haibara knew where he lived.

"All the times you've been going off on your own lately," she said dryly. "You've been with Kaitou KID."

"What are you thinking?" she demanded. " _Are_ you thinking? You've been running off to who knows where regularly with a known criminal _without a word to anyone_. Do you realize how stupid that is? No one would even know if you were in danger. No one would even know if you were _killed_."

"KID doesn't kill people," Shinichi pointed out. He immediately closed his mouth again when Haibara's glare intensified.

"You're missing the point," she said acidly. "What have you two been doing?"

"Nothing! We just—have dinner or coffee together sometimes…"  
"Oh. So you've been dating."

"What?! No!" Shinichi turned bright red. "That's not—it's not…"

"Your blush says otherwise." Haibara fell silent then, though she never took her gaze off of him. He felt like she was seeing right through him. She probably was. Eventually, she sighed and her arms fell back to her sides. "Well, if you insist on acting like an idiot, I can't stop you. But you will tell me when you're going somewhere with him."

Slightly relieved by the girls apparent acceptance of the situation (even reluctant as it was), Shinichi acquiesced.

"But remember," she added as she turned to leave. "Just because he isn't a killer doesn't mean he isn't dangerous. You should be careful."

Elsewhere, a certain phantom thief switched off his earpiece and stowed it away in one of his many pockets. He was going to have to have a talk with that Haibara girl sometime soon. He didn't want to alienate Shinichi's friends if he could help it. His Tantei-kun had few enough friends as it was. It would be best to make his intentions clear now and hopefully assuage her suspicions.

Still, Shinichi was going to be his whether she approved or not. He would be sure to make that clear too when they spoke.

* * *

 **-End of Chapter-**


	6. Basil

Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan/Case Closed.

Pairing: KaitoxShinichi

* * *

 **Lyrical Spices**

 **Basil**

 _[Song Inspiration: What Ifs by Kane Brown]_

"Kuroba Kaito, soon to be the best magician in the world! But you can call me Kaito."

Shinichi stood frozen, staring at the young man standing before him in the airport.

The man waited a moment then raised an eyebrow. "What, is there something on my face?"

Shinichi drew in a deep breath as he searched for his words. He ended up with only one. "Why?"

"Eh? Why what?"

The detective frowned. "Don't pretend you don't know."

The thief kept his faux clueless expression on for a moment longer before letting it fall with a laugh. He dropped a hand on top of Shinichi's head and ruffled his hair.

"You'd have found out when we got there anyway. After all, I was the one they invited. Showing up in disguise wouldn't make much sense."

Shinichi winced. He should have realized that, shouldn't he? It was pretty obvious. But he hadn't been thinking about it.

A sudden sense of unease swept over him. His gaze dropped to the floor.

Indigo eyes narrowed, but the announcer called for their flight to start boarding at that moment. So the thief grabbed Shinichi's hand and began towing him towards the gate. They could talk about whatever it was that was bothering his detective later.

-0-

"Ah, Kuroba-san! It's great to see you again. We're so glad that you decided to come," a middle-aged woman with her hair in a bun beamed at them as she bustled around the hotel counter. "Oh! And who's this?" she added, spotting Shinichi. "Is he your little brother? He's adorable!"

Shinichi ducked his head, groaning inwardly. What was it with older women and cooing over him? At least this one didn't try to pinch his cheeks.

Kaito laughed. "Oh, no. This is Conan-kun. He's the son of a family friend. His parents are on a business trip, so I volunteered to watch him while they're gone. He was super excited when he heard I'd be performing here in Okinawa."

"Really? Well, dear, I hope you enjoy your time here," she said, patting Shinichi on the head like he was half as old as he looked. Smiling, she turned back to Kaito. "My husband regrets he couldn't be here to greet you himself, but he's in a meeting. He wished to invite you to dine with us tonight. Unless you have other plans?"

"Dinner would be great."

"Excellent! Our daughter has been most excited to meet you ever since we told her about your spectacular performance at that new theater in Tokyo."

"Speaking of performances, I'd like to get a look at the stage as soon as possible."

"Of course, of course. I can show you the place now. Just leave your luggage here. I'll have someone take it up to your room for you."

-0-

"Wouldn't it have been easier just to say that we're related?" Shinichi asked. He was perched on the edge of the bed (there was only one king-sized bed because the hotel owners hadn't anticipated Kaito bringing a guest and, with the place fully booked, they couldn't change his room. Though Kaito assured them that it was fine) in their rather lavish hotel room and watching Kaito go over his inventory. The amount of magical paraphernalia that the magician thief could pack into two suitcases was mindboggling.

"Perhaps, but it would have made things more complicated later when it's safe to let people know we're dating."

Shinichi could feel his face warming. "I didn't realize we were dating."

Kaito just chuckled. "Did you bring any formal clothes?"

"No. I didn't think I'd need any."

"Good thing I brought a set for you then." Kaito snapped his fingers. There was a blinding flash of light. When Shinichi could see again, he found himself holding a set of child-sized formal clothes. He held it up and stared at it dubiously. Most of the outfit was white. The dress shirt was blue.

"You can't be serious."

"Oh come on. Now we match."

Feeling a sudden sense of dread, Shinichi looked up at the thief—who was dressed in, an ensemble that looked just like his KID suit sans cape, hat, and monocle.

"Are you insane?!" he squawked.

"Very likely. What, is there a problem?" The thief's expression was way too innocent to be real.

"You have to ask?!"

"Well, I _am_ Kaitou KID's biggest fan. It's hardly surprising for me to style my outfit accordingly."

"Biggest fan…" Shinichi trailed off then shook his head. This was too weird to deal with. "Well, I'm not wearing this."

"I guess if you really don't want to wear that, you can wear this bunny suit, and I can pull you out of a hat. I'm sure our hosts would appreciate the show."

Shinichi gaped in horror at the bunny suit that looked suspiciously like it would fit him perfectly. Then he picked up the miniature clone of Kaito's outfit and ran for the bathroom.

-0-

Dinner that night passed in a bit of a haze for Shinichi, lost as he was in his own thoughts. Not that it mattered much. Their hosts had all their attention focused on Kaito. The daughter in particular hung onto his every word, though the girl herself took some time to scrape up the courage to start asking questions of her own. She was clearly infatuated, and, if their behavior was any indication, her parents wouldn't mind the match at all.

At the end of the evening, the girl shyly offered to show Kaito around the city sometime.

Back in their room, Kaito and Shinichi both changed into pajamas. They ended up sitting on the bed as the magician reviewed the plans for his show.

"Maybe you should go with her," the detective said into the silence, tone thoughtful. "She seems nice."

Kaito looked up, quirking an eyebrow in amusement. "My, my, Tantei-kun, are you trying to get rid of me?"

"It's not that. I just…" Shinichi sighed, looking away. His stomach twisted painfully. "Time is precious. It's something you can never get back. You shouldn't waste it."

"Spending time with you is not time wasted, Shin-chan," Kaito said quietly. All signs of mirth had left his voice. His gaze too was deadly serious.

Shinichi didn't notice this because he was still looking away. "It's just… I might be like this forever. There might not be an antidote. And even if there is one, I don't know when it will be or how risky it might be. It might not even be worth it, all considered I've already spent so many years as Conan. I…could just grow up again as Conan. No more Shinichi. A lot of people already believe Shinichi's dead anyway…"

Kaito's jaw clenched.

"But that's not really the point," he continued, voice soft. "It's you. I…I don't want to hold you back. You're…you're really amazing. You're a great magician. Your career's basically set. And it's going to take you all around the world, You'll be even greater than your father someday just like you wanted."

"Yes," Kaito murmured, easing over to gently but firmly scoop Shinichi off of his seat and onto Kaito's lap. "But all those things will mean nothing to me without you."

"That's not true. You had those dreams long before you met me."

"A magician needs his audience. Otherwise, who would he impress with all his impossible feats?"

"There are billions of people out there," Shinichi reasoned, voice growing even quieter. "I just thought… I mean, I'm sure you could find someone more suitable if you—"

"Don't be ridiculous," Kaito cut him off, arms tightening possessively around Shinichi's waist. "I love you, Shinichi. I wasn't joking when I told you that I wanted you to be mine. You are the one I want to spend my life with. There may be billions of people out there, but believe me when I say that very few of them can keep up with me the way you can. And none of them have a smile or a spirit as beautiful as yours."

Shinichi's breath seemed to leave his lungs. He felt warm and dizzy and a little confused. How could the magician say such things with such sincerity? "That's just… I'm not…"

A calloused finger pressed itself against his lips, silencing him.

"Let me finish. You said it yourself, Tantei-kun. Time is precious. For all we know, the sky could fall tomorrow. So why shouldn't I spend my time with the one I love? Or are you saying you don't feel anything for me?"

Shinichi shook his head quickly then sagged in the thief's hold. "I just… I don't want to be a burden to anyone else."

"What makes you think you're a burden to anyone?" the magician asked, sounding honestly confused.

Shinichi shook his head. How could he put this simply? Murders and other crimes plagued him and everyone who associated with him everywhere they went. He was still young enough that running around by himself was tantamount to inviting trouble, but he had no choice but to run around. Okay, well, he technically had a choice, but his sense of responsibility wouldn't allow him to choose to sit around at home when he could be out there making a difference. And that made people worry. In retrospect, it was a good thing his parents lived too much in their own world to concern themselves with what he did. Not like Ran and Agasa. Even Hattori and Haibara had suffered their fair share of anxiety because of him.

He didn't exactly feel guilty because he was only trying to do the right thing, but… It didn't mean he was happy about upsetting the few people who cared about him.

And most of that hadn't even been a result of his sudden de-aging, which brought its own boatload of trouble for any relationship he might have.

It was all just a huge, tangled mess of complications. Anyone would get tired of having to deal with it day in day out. Hell, even Shinichi got tired of it sometimes. That was how this strange relationship had started in the first place after all: trying to hide away from it for a few hours in that coffee shop.

"well?" Kaito prodded gently.

Haltingly, Shinichi tried to put his thoughts into words. He wasn't used to voicing his concerns at the best of times. The fact that the issues at hand were so personal only made it harder. But this was important, so he forced himself to forge ahead.

Kaito remained silent for a long time after he was done. When he did finally break the silence, his voice was stern.

"Shinichi, I'm not going to leave you—especially not just because you're worried that things aren't going to work out. In case you didn't hear me the first time, I love you. I _enjoy_ spending time with you. And frankly, every relationship is a risk. But it's a risk for the good just as much as it's a risk for the bad."

"Doesn't it bother you at all? That I'm like this."

Kaito only laughed. "If it did, we wouldn't be here. All it means," he added, voice dropping into a teasing purr, "is that I'll have to wait a few years before I ravish you."

Shinichi blushed and elbowed him. "I'm being serious here."

"So am I." Pulling Shinichi more firmly against his chest, Kaito leaned forward so he could see the side of Shinichi's face. "Tell me, do you like me?"

The color in the detective's cheeks darkened a shade as he nodded slowly.

The magician smiled. "Then there's no problem. We'll make it work. I promise."

* * *

 **-End of Chapter-**


	7. Rosemary

Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan/Case Closed.

Pairing: KaitoxShinichi

* * *

 **Lyrical Spices**

 **Rosemary**

 _[Song Inspiration: Love Like Stars by Ben Montague]_

Reaching out with the scissors, Shinichi cut the wire, all the while giving the fake Kaitou KID his best innocent little boy smile. "Oops."

With a twang and a yell, the world filled with a swirl of smoke and glitter. When the air had cleared, the imposter was plastered to the wall of the building opposite, which also happened to be the museum the imposter had just come from. There were yells and sirens from below as the police and spectators alike were treated to the sight of the museum's newest curator, upside down, plastered to the building by a mass of sparkly, slimy something that no one could readily name.

With a flash of light, the real Kaitou KID appeared standing in mid air next to the imposter. He said something admonishing to the man that Shinichi couldn't hear from where he was standing, wagging a finger like he was scolding a child. Then he waved to his adoring fans and the scrambling police and vanished in another flash of light.

Shinichi didn't have to look to know who it was when he sense a presence behind him.

"Have you thought about how the police are going to get him down from there safely?" he asked, honestly concerned now that he was taking a closer look at the spot where the imposter was stuck. There was no balcony attached to that building, and the man was a considerable distance from both the ground and all the nearest windows. On top of that, the street was too narrow for a helicopter to safely enter. And anyone trying to peel the man off the wall would need to be able to first peel the mass of slime from him.

"I figured they could lower someone on a rope from the roof or a copter," the thief replied with a chuckle. "Don't worry, they're resourceful. And I left a note with instructions on how best to remove the slime without dropping him."

Shinichi blinked then shook his head, bemused. "That was thoughtful of you."

"I try. You were wonderful, by the way. You're an excellent assistant."

Shinichi snorted. "Don't get any ideas. I was just stopping a crime."

"About that, how's the lady?"

Shinichi's expression grew somber at the reminder. The museum owner's daughter, who had rejected the imposter's amorous advances, had been the real target of the man's crimes. Long story short, he had used KID's name to lure her out, the girl being a huge KID fan, and tried to kill her. He had failed. "She'll be fine. Although it may be a while before her father will let her out of his sight."

"All for the best, I say." Deciding that that was enough of such serious issues, Kaito crouched down and scooped Shinichi up into his arms. "Now that that's done, we can be on our way." Then, with Shinichi cradled against his chest, KID leapt from the roof and opened his glider. The thief was laughing. An answering grin tugged at the corners of Shinichi's lips. Now that the debacle was over and the victim safe, he allowed himself to relax, content in his thief's warm embrace. He could feel himself blushing, but fortunately Kaito had his eyes on the skyline and so couldn't see it.

They landed on a rooftop well away from the imposter's heist location.

"We really do make a good team," the thief remarked as he set Shinichi down.

"We do," Shinichi admitted because, well, it was true. Although he would have rather died than admitted it not all that long ago. Now, he just refused to admit that the thought might kind of make him happy. It would be far too embarrassing.

Sitting side by side on the edge of the roof, they looked out over the city. It glittered with millions of little lights.

Kaito had always loved the view of the city at night. Especially when the skies were clear as they were tonight.

The sky was full of stars scattered like diamonds on a velvet blanket. But even more beautiful than the stars was the great full moon hanging proud in their midst.

And when he turned to look into Shinichi's eyes, he could see the moon reflected in their sapphire depths, making the blues sparkle like the dust of dreams. He was seeing _Shinichi_ then, the soul behind the too young face and all the masks so like and unlike his own, and all he wanted to do was to pull Shinichi close—to claim those soft lips and kiss Shinichi breathless. To see him blush, hear him laugh, and make him moan Kaito's name. But he knew that he couldn't. Not yet.

But one day, one day Shinichi would be old enough again. One day, they wouldn't have to pretend they didn't know each other. One day, they could do normal things together during the day instead of sneaking around after dark. But until that day came, Kaito was content with things the way they were.

There was no fun being ordinary anyway. If they hadn't had such strange beginnings, they wouldn't be who they were, and that wouldn't do at all.

"Hey Shinichi."

Tearing his gaze from the city below, Shinichi glanced up at the thief sitting next to him. "What is it?"

"You once told me you wished that you could change the past."

"I remember," the detective murmured. How could he not? It was, after all, where this had all begun.

"Do you still feel that way?" Kaito asked, indigo eyes serious as they caught and held Shinichi's own. "If you could go back in time and change everything, would you still want to?"

Shinichi quirked an eyebrow at him, confused. "Why are you asking me that?"

"Just curious." Wrapping an arm loosely around Shinichi's waist, the thief turned his gaze back to the sky. "Because I was thinking, even if I could go back in time, I wouldn't want to change anything."

"Don't you have any regrets?"

Kaito laughed. "Of course I do. Who doesn't? But if things had gone differently, we wouldn't be here now. I wouldn't be the person I am, and you wouldn't be the person I love."

Shinichi's breath left him as his eyes grew wide, and he barely heard as Kaito continued.

"We might never even have met. None of that is worth giving up just to trade in some old regrets for new ones. Or at least that's what I think."

Shinichi swallowed hard. "I…" He started to say then stopped. Clearing his throat, he tried again, feeling his face warm. "I can't say I don't still wish sometimes that I'd made different decisions, but I… I don't mind it so much anymore that I can't change them. I...like being here like this. With you." The last words came out in a mumble that was barely audible even to Kaito's sharp ears, but he heard anyway, and those words brought a genuine smile to his lips.

On an impulse, he pulled Shinichi onto his lap, ignoring the boy's yelp of protest. Then he wrapped his arms firmly around the detective and rested his chin on to of Shinichi's head. "That's good."

* * *

 **-End of Chapter-**


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